


Diary of a Dying Teenager

by reader1718



Category: No Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-29
Updated: 2015-01-29
Packaged: 2018-03-09 14:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3253349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reader1718/pseuds/reader1718
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the movie Invisible. Wrote this for a literary magazine submission at school once.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Diary of a Dying Teenager

Diary of a Dying Teenager

One night a young boy named Chris Rogers was out at a party having the time of his life. Around 10:00 pm, he left the party and headed home knowing his parents would be worried about him, besides the fact that some of the more dangerous kids in the neighborhood had shown up at the party: Jonathan Rivers---brother of Ashley Rivers, the most popular girl in school---and his gang of hoods, who were looking at him menacingly. As he left, he was ambushed from behind by Jonathan and his gang, and dragged off into the nearby woods. "You molested my sister Ashley," Jonathan accused. "I didn't. I swear," Chris protested, but they didn't listen. "Shawn Keller says you did. He says he was nearby and saw everything. He came and reported to us after the incident," Jonathan said. Chris was upset because he'd thought Shawn was his friend, but Shawn had given them Chris's name after they confronted him. He was also worried about his parents, who'd already lost one son, and were now going to lose another. The boys beat Chris and left him for dead, burying his body in the brush near a creek where no one hung out. They went home and Ashley wanted nothing to do with Jonathan once she saw the blood on his hands. She knew he'd killed someone, but she didn't know whom.

The next day Chris woke up and went to school as usual, but noticed something odd as he went to his first class. The teacher asked a question and Chris gave the answer, but his teacher acted like she couldn't hear him. It was the strangest thing. "Hello! Hello!" Chris called, waving his arms about wildly. He then realized with shock that no one could see or hear him. He ran from the room in shock and ran into a student in the hall. He thought he'd hit him, since he saw the books scattered all over the floor, but in the next instant the damage seemed undone. What was going on? He then ran home and saw police officers investigating his murder. Oh my gosh! I'm dead, Chris thought with shock. He tried to get through to his parents and to the officers to tell them he was there, but met with no better luck than he'd had at school. So, he ran from the house and wandered the streets. Once, a car hit him, but it didn't even hurt him. He didn't know what to do, so he finally sat down on a bench and cried.

Two days later, Chris was wandering around a small neighborhood, when he saw a bird fall from a nest and hit the ground really hard. The bird's spirit appeared in his hand briefly, fluttering its wings and moving, but never leaving his hand. As the bird's body stopped moving, however, its spirit form disappeared. Why did it disappear? Chris wondered. If all spirits disappear when their bodies die, then why am I still here? The answer came like a slap in the face. It's because I'm not dead! I'm ALIVE! "I'M ALIVE!" Chris shouted. Of course no one heard him. He knew then that he had to find a way to let someone know that he was alive, or his chance to live again would be lost. So he turned to the few people who might be able to hear him: Shawn, Jonathan, and his parents. He knew he had to somehow get one or all of them to hear him or he'd be dead within the next day.

That night, he went first to his mother and tried speaking to her. That didn't work so well, but when he stroked his mother's head, he suddenly wound up inside her dreams! Once there, he discovered that she could see and hear him there, so he went to her dream-self and told her he was alive, pleading with her to tell people that and to help find his body. Since he wasn't sure if it worked, he went to his father, Jonathan, and Shawn, telling them the same thing. The next day, he found out when his parents and Jonathan all went around telling people Chris was alive. They discovered that someone had moved the body, though, and they didn't know who. They soon found out, though---Shawn. He had been the one who had really been messing with Ashley. Once Jonathan found out, he was enraged! He had beaten an innocent kid to the brink of death when it had been one of his own friends who'd committed the crime! He threatened Shawn until he told him where Chris's body was now. He told them it was near the river that flowed near the docks of the city. However, it was raining that day, so soon the river would run over, burying the body and drowning Chris. If that happened Chris would never live again, they knew, so they set out to find the body first.

Soon, they arrived at the docks, and sure enough, found Chris's body beneath the third one. The police that were present immediately called in the rescue team they'd brought with them, who pulled Chris's body out into the waiting ambulance. They took him to the hospital and tried everything they could to bring him back as Chris's spirit watched. In the meantime, a dying Shawn, who'd been shot by Jonathan for molesting Ashley, came to the hospital trying to make amends for what he had done. He had caused the death of an innocent kid and was determined to do something good before he died. So he came in and Chris's spirit led him to the room. Chris's mother refused to let Shawn in the room at first, afraid that he would do something else to hurt her son. She eventually let him in though, when Chris informed his mother (through Shawn) that he was there and wanted her to let Shawn in. He also informed her that he'd been watching her this entire time and now knew how hard it had been for her after losing his brother Robert. Once Shawn got into the room, he laid down at Chris's side and let the blood from his own wound flow into Chris's body. Soon enough, Shawn felt Chris's hand clasp his own as he died, and heard his voice say, "Thank you." And so, Shawn Keller died. He lost his life, but in doing so redeemed himself and allowed another boy to live.

Within the following week, Chris was back at school and two days after he got back, his class was asked to write a paper on a unique experience that they had. Chris wrote about his experiences between life and death. Here is what he wrote.

I am in the room with many others, but no one can see or hear me. It is as if I don't exist. I am here. Don't you see me? Don't you hear me? Apparently I am invisible to them, so I go to my house to find police investigating my murder, which makes me realize I'm dead. I try to make them hear me, but like everyone else, they don't. I finally sit down on a bench and cry, unable to take what is happening. Two days later, I am wandering around town and I see a bird that has fallen from a nest in a very tall tree. As it hits the ground, its spirit sits in my cupped hands, moving. Finally the bird's body stops moving and its spirit disappears, which is very curious to me. If spirits disappear when their bodies die, then why am I still here? Suddenly the answer hits me. It is because I'm not dead, but alive! However, I sense I don't have much time left, so I try to make anyone I can hear me to let them know I'm alive. At first, I go to my mother, stroking her head and talking to her. Then, I am suddenly inside her dreams and I realize that in her dreams she can hear me. I can tell her I'm alive. So I do so, making sure she hears me. Then I try my father, Shawn, and the Jonathan and I pray that it works because I know I have maybe one more day left to live. The next day, all of them except Shawn are going around telling people I'm alive. Then, we discover a tragedy---someone has moved my body! I am worried because I know what this means—if we don't find it soon, I will die completely and be gone forever.

Jonathan goes after Shawn Keller, whom he has just found out was Ashley's molester. He threatens him until he reveals the location of my body---under the third pier by the river near the docks in back of the city---then shoots him for molesting Ashley. The police search there, find my body, and send in a rescue team to retrieve it. I am taken to a hospital where doctors do everything they can to prevent me from dying. I watch over it all, when I hear a noise in the stairwell. It is Shawn, and he is dying. He has come to try doing one good thing before he dies, which surprises me because I had thought he was a backstabber. I lead him to the room where my body is, but my mom won't let him go in. So I speak through Shawn, letting my mother know that I am there and have been watching her, and that I now know what it has been like for her after losing my brother. I also tell her I want her to let Shawn in, which she reluctantly does. Once Shawn gets into the room, he lays down beside me and lets the blood from his wound flow into mine. Soon, my hand clasps his, and as he dies I say, "Thank you." Soon Shawn is dead, but I am alive. My parents run to me, crying and embracing me. After a week, I am allowed to go home. The day I get this assignment at school, I decide to write my experiences down for future generations to know how horrible an experience death can be as well as a way to deal with the trauma of the experience for me. I know that no one can put death in perspective as well as someone who has been near death.

Chris got an 'A' on his paper by the way. His teacher said he'd never read anything quite like it and it was deeply moving. It put death in a whole new perspective for a lot of people. Eventually, it was published in a book of short stories. Oh, I forgot to tell you his story's title, didn't I? Well, it was called "Diary of a Dying Teenager."


End file.
